


Unknown, And Like Esteem'd

by radondoran



Category: Luigi's Mansion - Fandom, Mario & Luigi RPG (Video Games), Super Mario & Related Fandoms
Genre: 5+1 Things, Community: fic_promptly, Gen, Names, POV First Person, Vague Continuity
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-03-09
Updated: 2016-03-09
Packaged: 2018-05-25 15:39:49
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,492
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6201022
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/radondoran/pseuds/radondoran
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Five times nobody remembered Luigi's name and one time he kinda wished they didn't.</p>
            </blockquote>





	Unknown, And Like Esteem'd

**Author's Note:**

> For the prompt [_Super Mario Bros, Luigi, five times no one remembered his name and one time they did_](http://fic-promptly.dreamwidth.org/249671.html?thread=9728583#cmt9728583) at fic-promptly.

**1.**

"Thank you, Mari…… oh! I'm sorry, I was expecting someone else."

That's the first thing she ever says to me.

But the Princess is a kind person, just like Mario said—she doesn't let her disappointment show. She giggles, extends a friendly hand. "Thank _you_ for rescuing me. You know it's funny though, you look just like him?"

I'm not sure whether to shake her hand or kiss it, and it's already taken me way too long to decide and the moment just keeps getting more and more awkward. Without knowing it the Princess rescues me; she claps her hands in sudden recognition.

"Oh, of course! You must be the little brother Mario mentioned! It's so nice to finally meet you, oh, um…" Her gaze shifts towards my cap. "… **Luciano**?"

* * *

**2.**

I kinda scream, but Bowser doesn't really seem to care one way or the other. One glance and he just tosses me back into the oversized burlap sack on the floor. Which is probably about the safest place to be right about now anyway, so there's nothing to do but lie there and listen.

"Who the heck is this?" he roars. "I told you nincompoops to kidnap Peach!"

"We did, sir!" comes the defensive reply. "Uh, that is, we thought we did…"

"I guess it happened kinda fast…" a second voice chimes in. "But we followed your instructions!"

A third minion adds, "Yeah, you said the _princess_ would be taking a morning stroll through the gardens!"

"So you're saying you had bad information." Bowser's voice again, not very loud but sounding even more dangerous than usual.

They go for it.

"Uh-huh!"

"Y-yeah, pretty much!"

"Uh—right, see, it wasn't our fault!"

Now Bowser raises his voice. "You sayin' it was my fault?!"

"Uhh—no…?" they try, in chorus.

"Fools!" he roars. "Don't you know the first thing about minioning? It's not important what I said, you're supposed to do what I say! Get out of my sight!"

Judging by their footsteps, they eagerly obey.

When Bowser speaks again, it's more conversational. "Dumb minions. If you want a princess kidnapped right you gotta do it yourself. Guess I'll just throw this guy in the moat or something."

"Wait, sire."

For a second I'm glad about maybe not getting thrown in the moat, but then I recognize the voice as Kamek's. That evil sorcerer's probably contrived something worse.

"What? Why?!"

"Those fools may have handed you an unexpected opportunity. True, you haven't captured the queen, but this pawn could be put to good use…"

"Princess," Bowser corrects him.

"It was a—oh, never mind. The point is, Lord Bowser, today finds you in possession of something that belongs to your most hated enemy. Wouldn't such a bargaining chip be more valuable… intact?"

"Oh, I get it! I can use this guy to get at Mario! Good plan, glad I thought of it. Okay, step one, write a note and tell Mario that if he ever wants to see **the green dude** again…." He pauses, doubtful. "Wait, what if he doesn't?"

"You can always throw this one in the moat later."

* * *

**3.**

"Nice Mario cosplay," a teenager jeers as I make my way through the food court. "What are you, colorblind or something?"

I knew I should have thought twice about doing my shopping during the convention.

The girl with him punches his arm. "Don't be a jerk, Kevin, the kid can wear what he wants. Besides, you dumb poser, that's _obviously_ supposed to be the Mario _palette swap_ from—"

Another boy cuts her off. "You idiots, that's not a Mario cosplay."

Good. At least somebody's got their facts straight.

"And you call yourselves fans," he drones on. "That shot in last month's _Idol Gossip_ , remember? In the background? That's **the guy that does Mario's laundry**!"

Or not. Mamma mia, I've been called a lot of things but that's just—well that's… true, actually, but only because if I let Mario do it we'd both wind up having to go around in pink gloves. My big bro's the best when it comes to rescuing princesses and everything, but he can be so careless!

* * *

**4.**

I shouldn't get nervous just because the Beanbean royal family is coming for a diplomatic visit, or just because yes (Toadsworth says), as a matter of fact the visiting party _is_ to include the young prince. Not that I went out of my way to ask, or anything. And it was just out of curiosity, not because I wanna see Prince Peasley again.

I mean, I can't think he'd wanna see me again. He's just really cool and charming, I'm sure there was nothing personal about his attentions towards me—I mean, about him paying attention to me. I keep telling myself the chance of seeing him again is nothing to get all worked up over.

By the arrival reception I'm so not-worked-up I can't even touch the hors d'oeuvres. It takes all the courage I can muster to make my move. Namely, a move towards the general vicinity of Prince Peasley, where I sorta stand around waiting for him to notice me. After a while I think I've lost him in the crowd—which is fine, great actually, I didn't really wanna come here anyway—and then I hear close beside me:

"Aren't you a bit tall and green for a wallflower?" Prince Peasley tosses his fair hair and, just as I remember, the effect is literally dazzling. "I admit these things _can_ be frightfully dull… I say, haven't I seen you before?"

I nod, probably way too eagerly.

"Ah, that's right— **Mr. Green Mustache Man**!" The prince's voice is as carefree as ever. "From my adventure with the Beanstar a while back! Didn't I rescue you from a Piranha Plant, something like that?"

…As I'm slinking out I hear that light voice for a moment above the crowd: "—evening to you, Mr. Red Mustache! You know I just saw the other one—"

Well, at least it's nothing personal.

* * *

**5.**

When I answer the door the guy out there's so frantic all he says is, "Mario Bros.?!"

I was taking a nap. Still half-asleep I give him the usual bit about how Mario's away at the moment but if he'd care to leave his contact information and a brief description of the monster and/or….

"Oh, what am I gonna do now?" the guy says, despairing. "It's a disaster, the basement's filling up with water and…"

Huh?

I grab my tools.

These days me and Mario spend so much time chasing stars and jumping on bad guys, it seems like there's not that many chances to ply our actual trade. But this is what the Mario Bros. were trained for. For a change I'm running _towards_ the disaster, and when I get there, I know what to do. While I'm working nothing tries to eat me, and I actually understand where all these pipes are supposed to lead to.

At one point I hear another voice approaching the top of the stairs: "For heaven's sake what happened—"

"Uh, there was a… minor plumbing issue," the client's voice hedges, "but it's all right now, there's nothing to worry about—look, dear, **the other Mario Bro.** has everything under control."

* * *

**&**

"Ah, **Luigi**! Just the man I wanted to see!"

Hearing that is almost more surprising than getting my molecules pixelated without warning and instantaneously reassembled who-knows-how-far-away. The windowless room isn't familiar—but, even though I have no clue about the function of any of the weird devices piled everywhere, I recognize the inventor's style. (It does help that half of them are shaped like his head.)

Professor Gadd continues, "Admiring my Ectoplasmic Wavelength Disruptor, I see! You know, you're going to have the honor of being the first to test it in the field. Or, erm, anywhere, for that matter. You see, I need your special skills on this one, my boy; I've never seen this sheer level of spectral activity. Here I'm commissioned to investigate the odd goings-on going on at this old estate, and I hardly get started when—well, I don't mind telling you it was a near thing making it back here. I really believe those ghosts could have killed me!"

He sounds awfully enthusiastic about it.

"But by sending _you_ in there, outfitted with this and certain other tools of my devising—yes, with you on my side there'll be nothing to it! Nothing but a few confrontations with a few dozen ghosts!"

Shuddering, I nervously bring a hand to my mouth; and as usual Professor Gadd responds to my terror with a friendly chuckle.

"Come now," he says, "don't look so surprised that I called on you! When I discovered I was dealing with a haunting on this scale, your name was the very first thing that came to mind. Why, when I think 'creepy abandoned structures overrun with malevolent ghosts', I think **Luigi**!"


End file.
